BubbleGum Clash
by Ralis
Summary: Its the Year 2035: A childhood friend of Sylia and Mackie's is in the middle of his own Crisis.


Foot steps echo from down the hallway, at a speed that can only be reached by high level combat boomers, or a hardsuit operator. Arthur Gemthrine is running at full speed, doing his best to keep ahead of the floor that is collapsing under his feet.  
  
Just a few more meters. He thinks to himself now that the doorway at the end is visible. Five, four, three, two, then finally one, he jumps into the air, again assisted by the systems of his combat armor. Just as he's though the portal a door slams shut behind him preventing him from going back even if he wanted too.  
  
He slides to a stop in a room filled with refuse, and hopes for a few moments to catch his breath. One deep breath, then a second, and as he was letting out the third the ceiling starts to drop. Thinking quickly he raises his left hand and fires the laser found there, and hopes to cut him a way out before he's crushed.  
  
One breath, two, three, it's not working fast enough. Arthur keeps cutting as he looks for another alternative. Finally, a piece of the cement falls, leaving to him to dodge out of the way at the last moment, but he finally has his way to survive. He leaps again, aided by the thrusters mounted on the tip of each of the wing like booms that folds out from his back.  
  
Now capable of true flight, he reaches what he hopes is safety, only to have the mechanism thrown into reverse. In need of another option, hyper sensors deploy giving his suit's helmet a strange looking pair of round ears like a cartoon mouse would have. Looking through the X-ray vision he now possesses, he looks around ahead of him and sees a doorway, although switching back to normal vision he sees it's behind a layer of bricks. Without the time, or angle to cut through it, he flies up and slaps a strange U-shaped object where the opening should be, then floats above it more then four meters away.  
  
With a thought the mouse ears retract into his helmet. One breath, two, three, four; then the shaft is rocked by an explosion. Looking down he sees that his new path is clear of all apparent obstruction, and makes his way towards it. Almost there, the wings fold back out of the way, and he rolls into the room.  
  
Standing up onto one knee almost instantly, Arthur finds himself in another hallway, similar to the first that collapsed on him. Carefully getting back on both feet, he takes another deep breath, then two, and takes his first step forward. Only to have to throw him against the wall as bullets start to spray at him from the automatic turrets at the far end.  
  
I must be slipping, he thinks as he didn't notice them sooner. He raises his left hand, and in a flash of light, the right hand turret falls silent. He runs forward, lead splashing against his armor. Almost in slow motion, a sword slides out of its protective covering on his right forearm, and with a spin of his whole body, the blade slashes through the offending device.  
  
As the laser sword slides back into its home, Arthur takes another breath, then another, and another as the portal between the turrets slides open. Standing up straight he calmly walks through the door.  
  
"You trying to kill me?" he asks pulling off his helmet and tossing it into an unoccupied chair. Showing his handsome face for the first time, with sandy blonde hair and hazel colored eyes, and begins climbing out of his black and gray armor. A green haired female steps forward to assist him, but he waves her off after taking a pair of eye glasses from her hands. "Thank you, Dolly, but I can manage. "  
  
Dolly, the green-haired girl, takes a seat and puts her hands in her lap. The dress she's wearing would be better suited to a life in another time. But her hair and grey eyes give it away that she's an artificial person, a boomer.  
  
"Now, Arthur, you told me to make the test difficult." An 18 year old girl, in dirty coveralls, turns around in her command seat. Her hair is a bright red, with equally bright blue eyes and has a slender build. "Not to mention, unless we put the hard suit through tough conditions, we won't know its limits."  
  
"But I didn't say, 'Please, Jas, try to kill me.' Not to mention, I already know what its limits are. I think your just being a sadist." Arthur retorts, as he finally steps out of the hardsuit, showing his wiry frame and everything else, in his skin tight charcoal grey innerwear.  
  
"At least I'm not a mecha-phile."  
  
Arthur stands there stunned at the ultimate of low blows, finally opening his mouth to respond when he gets cut off by Dolly.  
  
"Arthur, sir, its improper to be wearing that in the presence of a young woman." Dolly says in her quiet very lady-like voice. The only man in the room sulks off to change muttering about never being able to win against the pair. Then the boomer turns to Jas, "And Jasmine, it's improper for a young woman to be speaking of such thing. You should also try to dress a little more feminine."  
  
"Oh, switch off." Jas turns around using as minor a curse as she can to avoid more comments from Dolly. Then after tapping at the keyboard for a few moments, stands up and walks over to the hardsuit. She kneels down beside it and removes an armor plate, and begins making some minor adjustments with a screwdriver. Then she thinks out loud, "When do you think Arthur will build one for me?"  
  
"I don't think he intends to build more, if he can avoid it" Dolly replies, taking the discarded helmet into her hands, then brushes it off with a handkerchief. The red head looks at the android with a puzzled look on her face. Since when has a boomer been able to think such deep thoughts?  
  
"Did Arthur tell you that? Why wouldn't he make another hardsuit. I've proven trustworthy haven't I?" Jasmine asks out of surprise, she always felt it was a matter of time before she would take a more active role in taking on the corporations that where trying to take over her home.  
  
"Miss Jasmine, I don't think it's a matter of trust. It's been my observation that Arthur desires to fight alone. Perhaps, he doesn't want to drag you deeper into a matter he considers to be personal, or he simply doesn't want you to get hurt. There is also logic in the idea that you might be a distraction in combat." Jas holds up her hand to stop the android from going on.  
  
"I guess you have a point, but I have as much a right to fight as he does." Jas sets the tool down and restores the protective cover.  
  
"There is no one arguing with you on that, miss."  
  
Arthur finishes pulling on his pants, and buckles his belt. He is wearing a pair of tan dress slacks, and a white dress shirt. He is standing in what would be considered a study if this was in fact a home, it's furnished with a computer terminal sitting on a desk against the wall. A sofa sits opposite from it, sharing a wall with a bookcase filled to capacity with reference material, both paper books and data disks. The doorway occupies the third wall, with another bookcase and closet across from it. Arthur stands in front of the closet, inside is the innerwear, along with a few spare articles of clothing.  
  
He walks over to the desk after closing the closet, hiding the garments from view. On the desk are a holstered handgun, various office items, and a framed photograph of an elderly gentleman. The man in the picture shares a resemblance to the sandy haired young man. Arthur reaches towards the gun, and then stops with his hand hovering over it. The hand then reaches out and takes hold of the picture frame, as the man seems to fall into the office chair.  
  
With his free hand, Arthur pulls off his glasses setting them on the desk, and then rubs his eyes. Memories start to surface: Young Arthur enters a dark room; it full of dust and smells of the old papers that are scattered all over, in his hands is a large box. Every inch of the walls are covered in shelves and bookcases, the middle is occupied with a table and a desk, and both are covered with computer disks, written notes. The only light comes from the glow of the data terminal. Arthur flips the light switch only to find out that the bulbs have long since burned out.  
  
"I didn't know Grandpa was this messy. No wonder Dad wanted me to move in after Grandma died." The teenager tells himself, as he sits down at the desk and starts to go through the items on top of it one by one. So far they are mostly opened letters from friends, research associates, and admirers. One by one they are placed into the box.  
  
As he is adds another letter to the box, he uncovers an unopened package. He takes a closer look. It looks ordinary enough, in the brown paper wrap. However the return address says that it was sent by Dr. Stingray in Tokyo. Another look at the postmark tells the teenager that it had been sent two years ago.  
  
"You old bat, why didn't you open a package from one of your closest friends?" Arthur rips open the package, to reveal a data unit. A little surprised by it, he dusts off the terminal and slides the disk into the drive. Then the words "For Arthur Only" appear on the screen.  
  
"For me, what's going on here?" The teenager has time to make out before there is a rush of thoughts into his mind.  
  
The picture drops to the floor. Arthur shakes his head, hoping to banish the thoughts once more, as he chokes down the flood of tears that want to be unleashed. Finally having himself under control, he picks up the handgun and holster and slips it on over his dress shirt, returns a watch to his left wrist, and picks up his glasses. Before he leaves the room, he grabs the sport coat that matches the slacks from the arm of the sofa, sliding it on over his shoulders as he steps out of the room  
  
"Arthur, Arthur, we've got trouble!" Jas shouts as soon as he returns to the control room. "You just got a page. Officer Ellis just left headquarters with his whole team. The chief is now calling for all frontline units to mobilize."  
  
"And why did they call? I'm in the heavy weapons unit." Arthur fires back.  
  
"He's included heavy weapons. Byrne is already on his way and will meet you at HQ."  
  
"Alright, Jas, I need you to take Dolly home, and then go to bed yourself. You'll have a long day ahead of you." He then runs to the elevator that leads to the ground level. "Dolly, I need you to start writing a formal letter of apology. I have a feeling it's going to be needed by the end of the night."  
  
"Yes, Sir" is repeated by both women at the same time, but Arthur is already out of earshot.  
  
He emerges on the ground floor of what looks like an old warehouse. The shadows hide the make and model of several cars on either side of him as he makes his way to the AD police issue Road Chaser that he's been assigned.  
  
The cop car is an impressive vehicle, its turbo charged engine able to take it up well past the posted speed limit. Pulling out his key chain, Arthur presses a button, and the lights flash as the auto start brings the vehicle to life. Moments latter he slides into the driver's seat, closes the door and tears out of the garage. His destination, AD Police Headquarters.  
  
Jasmine watches the police car leave on the monitor of computer system. She stands up and heads over to a cabinet opens it up to show multiple sets of keys for all the cars on the floor below. She's clearly looking for one set in particular, and then spots the one empty hook.  
  
"What, the keys for the Mini are gone!" she exclaims.  
  
"Of course, you have used the Mini several times, when Arthur has said repeatedly to not use any of his Grandfather's antique cars. That one in particular is expensive to drive, since it has not been converted to use gasohol." Dolly explains emotionlessly from her seat.  
  
"I know, but its so much fun to drive. It's been totally tricked out: performance suspension, after market wheels, ceramic racing clutch, and the biggest engine they could fit under the hood. Don't forget the radical paint job, and killer stereo."  
  
"It also does a nine second quarter mile, making it illegal outside a racing track, and is reflected in the number of traffic violations on your record while driving it."  
  
Jas sighs, as the android wins the argument, reaching into her pocket for the keys to her own car, and picks up her back pack in the corner. Dolly stands up, and smoothes out her skirt, and follows the red head out the door. She turns out the lights, leaving the hardsuit to be bathed in the remaining lights from the computer screens. 


End file.
